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Children attending Accident and Emergency are being put at risk of death because not enough hospitals properly document their vital signs, a new report reveals.

The Royal College of emergency Medicine says nearly one in three emergency departments across the UK is failing to use a formal scoring system designed to alert medics when child patients turn gravely ill.

The college examined data for 16,000 children under 16 across 191 hospitals and found that essential checks designed to alert doctors to a deterioration in a child’s health were not always properly recorded.

There can be issues which can go unrecognised if vital signs are not recorded – sometimes with grave consequencesDr John Criddle, Royal College of Paediatrics

Children who arrive at Accident and Emergency with a medical illness, as opposed to an injury, are supposed to have their temperature, breathing, heart rate and other vital signs recorded within 15 minutes.

Those who have abnormal vital signs are supposed to have another full assessment within an hour.

The RCEM recommends medics use the Paediatric Early Warning Scores system, or an equivalent early warning system, to record the results.

The college’s report concluded “there is a need for increased documentation of both initial and repeat vital signs” within appropriate timeframes.

Dr John Criddle, chair of the Royal College of Paediatrics, said: “Children make up nearly a quarter of total attendances at A&E and a significant proportion present with conditions such as fever, wheeze and breathing difficulties.

“Often, these conditions are dealt with quickly and easily, but sometimes there can be underlying issues which can go unrecognised if vital signs are not recorded – sometimes with grave consequences.

“We therefore welcome the recommendations made by the RCEM in today’s report.

“All children and young people should receive an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival to ensure we minimise the likelihood of missing serious illness.”

Dr Cliff Mann, RCEM president, said currently no scoring system was sufficiently sensitive or specific.

“To enable sick children to be identified, there is a clear need to agree a standardised scoring method that all clinicians can use,” he said.